Sellers roll call! How many viewings are you gettingin this stagnant market?

[Pixiedust1973]

I thought it would be nice to update each other with our progress as I seem to of lost the other sellers thread!

My house has been on the market on & off since April last year. We found a house we liked, got a buyer before putting in an offer. Had a low offer but managed to negotiate them up & the house we want down to an acceptable level, just! Turns out after many months that their buyer can't proceed so we decide to cut off from our old agents & start afresh with a 25k reduction for quick sale, making us without question the best house in the area for the price! Comparables being 40-50k higher! Im in an expensive part of Surrey btw, hence silly money for very little!

Been on 55 days now & had 11 viewings, 2 cheeky try their luck offers we can't accept because they're 30k below our asking price already reduced by 25k. Id say that given how stagnant the market is we're getting a reasonable amount of interest. Getting lots more hits online since the new year & hopefully its only a matter of time. The viewers we are getting are proceedable viewers, mainly chain free. Probably explains the low offers! Had a second viewing on Friday & awaiting their feedback today. Thought they were keen but the later in the day it gets the more nervous im getting!

Thanks all. Yep we're getting feedback and nobody has said it was overpriced. The one offer we got was about 2 grand lower than ideal but fine and would have left us enough to buy what we wanted however buy was not and is still not proceedable.

All feedback has been not sure on area and lack of garden!

To be honest the area has a bit of a reputation because it was rough years ago. To be honest though it's not rough at all now, we don't get any trouble, no teenagers hanging about and it's quite quiet. For example in winter I walk home with my son from nursery in the dark and I absolutely wouldn't do that if I didn't feel safe. Unfortunately it's reputation precedes it.

I'll post a link I've got nothing to lose!! Hang on...

Don't know if this will post clicky

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/73510697

To be fair I'm going to ask next door to cut the trees back at the front because I personally find them off putting though nobody else has mentioned It!

Flaming i think the house looks lovely. Photos make it look dark, acan you completely pull back the blinds rather than just open them to let more light in.
Lounge colour is dark but love it.
Last 2 houses sold in your street were 89 and 90k in the last 12 months.
Maybe put a few plant pots in the back garden and add some fake grass?

Amazing space Friday's! Think the whole downstairs of our house could fit into your kitchen and I can't believe the price! It is a bit dark though. Are you willing to decorate/style it up a bit? Sometimes that's all it takes to give a property the edge.

@Flaming I really don't think there's such a thing as listing 'too low', because if the price is right the house will sell. The longer your house sits on the market, the more people are going to think that there's something wrong with it. If you reduce it by 10% now, you will most likely end up with multiple offers and they will compete and bid your house right back up to what the right price for this market is. You will then have the freedom to accept or decline. If that final offer is still unacceptable, I would wait to sell until after Brexit.

It's beautiful flamingofridays but the photos are dark. Did the EA take them? They really just need editing to brighten them - it will make the world of difference. I skip past houses that look dark when I'm looking on rightmove - it really influences me.

flamingofridays google home staging and it will give you loads of tips too - I'd go for white bedding in every room, remove shampoo bottles and toothbrushes etc from photos, depersonalize and remove any photos. I'd live there for sure!

flamingofridays sounds silly and small change but remove all the stuff off the front of the fridge too! We had a box ready that we could just throw everything in off the counter tops too ready for a viewing. I bought 'staging' towels too - bright white that I only ever put out for a viewing etc. Bed covers to throw over a creased duvet too that I kept just for viewings. Fresh flowers make a home looked loved and 12 green apples or lemons in a bowl in the kitchen!

thanks everyone! yes I agree the pictures are a bit dark - don't really want to re decorate because we've only recently done the front room and I actually adore it. We've had compliments from several viewers on it too. Its north facing so generally a bit of a dimmer room.

tobeclear yes true about the fridge would make it look a little neater! and toothbrushes etc.

building I could consider reducing to 100 but we could only realistically take 98 if we are to buy the house we want (mainly because ive got about 2,5 grands worth of exit fees on the current mortgage, could take less if it wasn't for them but its not up until jan!

alexa thank you! a house over the road from us almost opposite has sold earlier this year close to our asking price I believe (I spoke to the agent when it sold stc) but it doesn't appear to be on rightmove yet. it wasn't so long ago so maybe its not updated yet.

I have thought about sorting out the back yard, but I am not sure where to start as we park there, I could pretty up the bit directly outside the back door I suppose!!

@Flaming, if you can realistically take 98, then list it at 98. It will attract more people and perhaps you'll get multiple competitive offers.
I think listing at above what you are willing to take with a view to negotiate down is a bad idea in a buyers market.

What about the couple who offered 2 grand below? Is there any chance you could negotiate with them or meet in the middle?

I did think about listing at the lowest we could take but was worried I would only attract offers we couldn't accept? I might speak to the estate agent about that actually.

we cant accept the couples offer as they have a house to sell so are not currently proceedable, but if they come back having sold we will accept it definitely.

I think that's a lot of house for your money (but I live in Devon and so things will be different) and you've made great use of the space.
Agree with what others have said. Also make the concrete bit prettier if you can. Pop to ikea and get some fake plants.
I had staging towels and even bought those pot herbs too. And a bowl of shiny green apples! Just to freshen our place up a bit.
Good luck with your sale.

O I would add to reduce it under £100k. Psychologically it will make a huge difference.

Put at £99,950 or offers over £98,000

hmmm now that does make sense because although we would happily accept 100, 99,950 seems a lot cheaper even though its like 50 quid.

I am going to speak to dp (and buy some nice plants) am slightly worried about them being taken! might get a nice window box.

thanks for all your advice everyone its given me a lot to think about!

I agree with 99950... makes a huge psychological difference

I disagree with £99,950 - because; it is such a specific number that it may look as if that is your absolute minimum and it will discourage potential buyers who would be willing to offer your true minimum (£98,000) from making a lower offer. Some buyers are just shy and afraid to offend.

I would just go for £98,000, and just give that as your simple figure. When I sold my flat in London, I just gave the asking figure, with no conditions, such as ono, offers in the region of, offers over. Just giving a simple figure keeps it understandable and game free.

Do you not think people would offer maybe 92-95? because I wouldn't be able to take it....

You are under no obligation to accept lower. The EA can make it clear to viewers you would accept £98K, simple as. In the event of completing bids, you could even get more.

Typo, I meant competing bids, not completing...

yeah that's true..... im so torn about what to do!

Lovely house flamingofridays! To add to your confusion, I would list as £99,950 - our first house was up for sale for £89,950 and we bought it for £88k - people love to feel they've 'done a deal'.

At least it would remove your uncertainty, and you would get to know if the market in your area will sustain your bottom line. If it cannot, it will help clear up your mind that you will have to stay put in your house, at least for a while. It sounds like you may be slightly afraid to know what figure today's market will sustain for your house. But not knowing is much more stressful than knowing.

It sounds like you may be slightly afraid to know what figure today's market will sustain for your house

not really, I just don't want to have to say no to offers really! I also don't want to / wont accept less than its worth!